Dear Mr. B (Rafael Barba X Reader)

Chapter 3

It was nice.

You felt at ease here. You didn't have to act a certain way or be a certain thing out here. You could walk and forget your worries.

You had lost track of where you were going and came upon an old cozy coffee place. The bricks were discolored and some were chipped. The lights were dimmer than the others around it. There was a huge alley next to it and there was outdoor seating. It had string lights making the alley appear welcoming compared to others you had come across on your walk. As you went into the alley a strong smell of coffee engulfs your nose.

You saw that there was a small lounge with trees and flowers surrounding it and there were birds singing on the branches.

You had never seen anything more beautiful.

You found a corner by the wall in the lounge area and sat. There were different colored flowers around you and you noticed a beautiful mural on the wall. It was a an assortment of flowers and trees with bright warm colors.

A young woman came and introduced herself as your waiter.

"I'm Alice. Is there anything I can get you?"

You panicked. You didn't know what to get.

Alice seems to sense this.

"Are you new here? I can give you a recommendation if you'd like"

You smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

She laughed. "Yeah a little. Plus I know everyone that comes here. My parents own the place so I've been here since forever"

"Wow well they have a beautiful shop here. I've never been somewhere so peaceful and beautiful."

Alice beamed. "Well we are very proud of our little corner of heaven here. I'll prepare something for you on the house"

"Oh! You don't have to!"

"Don't worry about it! I have a feeling you'll be back"

"I probably will. This is close to where I live and I'm in love with this alley"

Alice gave you a napkin before going back in to prepare what she called "the best drink ever made". You decided to take a closer look at the lounge.

Out of the corner of you eye you saw a brick that seemed different from the other ones. It was slightly hidden with vines and bushes. You ran you fingers on it and lightly pushed it. It moved easily to the side and you pulled on it and it came out revealing a small hole in the wall.

You sat there for a while before a sudden urge to write came over you. You loved to write. It allowed to to express yourself in a way that made you feel calm.

You took the napkin Alice had given you and a pen from your pocket and began to write.

Flowers.
Trees.
Life may be a tumultuous beach with crashing waves but in this moment I have found peace.
Among the trees and flowers.
Because life may not be perfect but nature is.
It bears not the trouble of the human heart.
I can only wish to stay here forever.

You smiled to yourself. As you reread the words on the napkin thinking it was silly. You heard the door to the shop open and saw Alice coming toward you with a drink and a small plate.

You went to hide the napkin not wanting to have to explain why there was writing on it and spotted the hole where the brick was missing. You stashed it there and shoved the brick back into place.

Alice came to you and presented you with the most amazingest hot chocolate you had ever smelled in your life.

"That is Mum and dad's family recipe. We use the finest chocolate along with a special something to give it an extra kick!" She told you excitedly before handing it to you.

"It smells amazing" you said blowing on it before taking a sip.

It tasted like chocolate silk. Soft warm and rich. It put all other chocolate to shame.

You hummed happily. "This is fantastic."

Alice smiled. "Glad you liked it!"

"You can definitely count on me as a returning customer! Especially when school starts!"

"Oh what school?"

"NYU."

Alice squealed. "Me too!"

"Oh my Gosh that's great! I won't be a complete loner next week!"

Alice went to say something but then your phone rang.

"Sorry I have to get this"

"No it's fine! I better get back to work before my mom yells at me. I'll give you my number and we should totally hang tomorrow!"

"That would be great!"

As she scribbled her number on her order pad you saw it was your mother calling and picked up.

"Hey mom"

"Y/N do you know what time it is? Where are you?"

You rolled your eyes. She was out late all the time so why shouldn't you be able to?

"I'm just getting something to eat I'll be home in 10 minutes"

"I can't believe you went out so late. Something could have happened to you!"

You let out a breath of air.

"Mom I'm fine okay? I'll be home soon. Bye"

You hung up not waiting for her response. You knew you were in big trouble when you got home but you didn't care.

Alice had left a sheet of paper with her number and a little note.

Shopping at 2 tomorrow? :)

You smiled. You were happy to make a friend.

You took out 10 dollars from your pocket and set it in the table feeling bad even though Alice had said it was on them.

You grabbed your stuff and headed back to the apartment.

Your mother greeted you with comments on how stupid you were for going out so late and without telling her. You shrugged her off. It was tiring how she monitored your life. She went off all the time to galas and parties but God forbid you go a couple blocks down to get a coffee.

As you laid in your bed a sudden thought crossed your mind.

The napkin.

You had forgotten to grab it before leaving.

You sighed. You would get it tomorrow. You doubted anyone would find it.

Wrote this really early in the morning so sorry if it doesn't make sense. I would really appreciate feedback!